Please help! Very sick squirrel!!

[Gurleygurl25]

I just joined this group because I am in urgent need oh help and was told that this would be the best place to ask! I rescued a baby squirrel several months ago and he was doing wonderfully. A couple of weeks ago he started to have diarrhea and won't hardly get up and move around. I've tried different things to try to make him better but nothing has worked.he has a very very tight stomach and his chest is bulging. He seems to breathe really hard. every two or three days I try to wash his hind end because it just gets all over him. Tonight I washed it off of him and all of a sudden he kinda just fell over in the water and payed there and acted like he couldn't even stand up. He laced there like he was dying and couldn't breathe. I got him out immediately and dried him off but I'm so worried I'm going to lose my poor boy! Please if any of you have any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated! I am so worried I'm going to lose my baby! Thank you and God Bless!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Can you tell us exactly what you're feeding.
Many health problems in squirrels are diet related.

[Gurleygurl25]

Yes. He loves pecans. He eats acorns and avocado and fruit and veggies but I noticed him beginning to get sick when I fed him corn and sunflower seeds my husband bought from the department store. I read where that could be the problem but we have pulled it. He still eats the heck out of the pecans but he hasn't gotten any better.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh honey, the diet is all wrong. Your baby is suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease and probably other issues as well. Can you post a pic so we can assess the bloat?

Do you have any Tums?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Here is a link to the treatment protocol for Metabolic Bone Disease.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

He probably needs hydration because of the diarrhea but the tight stomach and bulging chest are very concerning.

[HRT4SQRLS]

If your baby is only a couple months old he needs formula. NO MORE NUTS OR CORN OR SEEDS!

The recommended formula is powdered Esbilac puppy formula with probiotics and prebiotics. It can be purchased at pet retailers.

[HRT4SQRLS]

This is urgent. In the late stages MBD is fatal.
It can be treated but we need to act fast.

[Gurleygurl25]

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Yes we have tums

[HRT4SQRLS]

Does he still have diarrhea?

I would get him on a heating pad (LOW). MBD is painful. Wrap him to warm him but don't let him overheat.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Crush the Tums and add a small amount of water.

What size Tums do you have (mg)?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Are those poop pellets in the pics?
If so I would stimulate him to see if he can pass more poop.
That belly is very concerning.

[Gurleygurl25]

750 mg

[Gurleygurl25]

Are those poop pellets in the pics?
If so I would stimulate him to see if he can pass more poop.
That belly is very concerning.

That was actually diarrhea. I tried massaging his belly and he hated it. I gave him some tums and have him on a heating pad now. He seems so weak

[HRT4SQRLS]

750 mg
OK, In a 750 mg Tums there are 320mg of calcium per tablet.

Over the next 24 hours I would get this entire Tum into him. I would go very slowly as I am very concerned about the belly. If that's bloat, it can also be lethal. That's why I'm concerned about putting anything into him but without the calcium he won't survive.

Pinch the skin between his shoulders. Does the skin 'tent' when you release it?
If the skin tents it indicates dehydration. Here is the recipe for hydration fluid.

Homemade Rehydration Fluid
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar or apple juice
2 cups warm water
Store in refrigerator. Discard after 24 hours.

I would go VERY slowly with the Tums and the hydration fluid.
I would probably offer very tiny portions every hour and see how it's tolerated.
That stomach must go down.
There are actually 3 serious problems at the same time. Every one of them is serious. (MBD, bloat, diarrhea)

[HRT4SQRLS]

Gurley, we see MBD almost on a daily basis. What we don't see is this odd distention of the belly. This doesn't look like typical bloat. I hope it's not something like megacolon. If it's something like that we wouldn't be able to offer any help for that. Another thing that I thought about was a belly full of adult worms but you said it came on rapidly right?

In a case where there are so many unknowns I guess you treat for what you can treat and hope and pray that the other things will correct themselves. You can treat for MBD and hopefully a diet correction will help with the diarrhea. If not there might be parasites but there are critical issues to address first. Stabilizing him is critical right now.

Tomorrow I would buy some powdered Esbilac formula. If he survives the night he will need some type of nutrition tomorrow. (Assuming that the belly distention goes away)

What's your boys name? I would keep him near me so that he has the will to fight. :Love_Icon

[Gurleygurl25]

I'm massaging his tummy now. You can see his heartbeat through his hind end. His shoulders did not tent

[Gurleygurl25]

Gurley, we see MBD almost on a daily basis. What we don't see is this odd distention of the belly. This doesn't look like typical bloat. I hope it's not something like megacolon. If it's something like that we wouldn't be able to offer any help for that. Another thing that I thought about was a belly full of adult worms but you said it came on rapidly right?

In a case where there are so many unknowns I guess you treat for what you can treat and hope and pray that the other things will correct themselves. You can treat for MBD and hopefully a diet correction will help with the diarrhea. If not there might be parasites but there are critical issues to address first. Stabilizing him is critical right now.

Tomorrow I would buy some powdered Esbilac formula. If he survives the night he will need some type of nutrition tomorrow. (Assuming that the belly distention goes away)

What's your boys name? I would keep him near me so that he has the will to fight. :Love_Icon


Thank you all for your help. I took him to our local vet and he said he was going to be vine and he recommended all of those foods for him. I just don't know what it could be. He has been drinking tons of water every day so I didn't think about dehydration. His tummy is so tight I don't know how he's still alive. I just feel so bad for him. He doesn't even want to lay in the heating pad anymore he just wants to lay cupped up in my hands. His name is Buddy.

[HRT4SQRLS]

That confuses me. The vet recommended pecans, corn and sunflower seeds?
When did Buddy go to the vet? Today? I'm very worried about the belly. If the bowel is twisted it can perforate.

[Gurleygurl25]

He went last week. Our vet thinks squirrels for pets is ridiculous. Makes me think he doesn't know what he was talking about. When I massage he just pees a little. No poo. I will watch him through the night and update tomorrow when I get a chance. Again, bless you all. if he does pull through, what is a proper diet for the future?

[SammysMom]

If your vet told you those were proper foods he has no idea what he's talking about. HRT has given you great information. The one thing I might add would be baby Gas X drops. Simethicone drops if store brand. They might help the bloat. You must give calcium if you are going to save Buddy. Sooner rather than later is the only way to go.

[SammysMom]

Here is the link to the healthy diet:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[cava]

I would say stop massaging that belly. If he is bloated or distended inside it's painful and could be dangerous. Let that belly go down with medicine and flushing with water.

Did the nuts have salt on them?

Was the corn dried corn?

How often were you feeding acorns, where did you get them? Did you check them before giving, were they black inside?

Do you have weight on this baby? You can give infant ibuprofen for pain if so. Need a weight for a dose.

Give fluids often, water. Give him a touch of sugar like honey/syrup/karo syrup on the gums every two hours or so to keep his blood sugar up. Keep him warm.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Checking on Buddy today. I can't stop thinking about him.
I know he was critically ill. :sadness

[Nancy in New York]

Checking on Buddy today. I can't stop thinking about him.
I know he was critically ill. :sadness

Me too! :(

[Gurleygurl25]

Checking on Buddy today. I can't stop thinking about him.
I know he was critically ill. :sadness

My little boy made it through the night. Still weak but doing a little better. I’m taking him to another vet 2 hours away tomorrow morning.

[LR]

Is his belly still tight like it was or has it gone down some? Is he drinking so he stays hydrated? Did you get the Esbilac? Don't forget to give him the calcium. It's very important for his recovery.

[HRT4SQRLS]

My little boy made it through the night. Still weak but doing a little better. I’m taking him to another vet 2 hours away tomorrow morning.
I'm glad to hear that. Hang on Buddy. :Love_Icon
I hope the vet can diagnose the problem with the distended abdomen.
I hope that Buddy has already gotten some relief from that as I'm sure he was in a lot of pain.

I'm hopeful that this vet will have experience with rodents. I'm uncertain of the many problems that Buddy has but I am 100% certain that low calcium is a problem. It is the most common problem we see on this forum. Your vet can give you diagnostic proof with an X-ray. In Metabolic Bone Disease, the bones will appear thin and pale on X-ray. Some of the smaller bones of the feet won't even be visible on X-ray. I know that it seems illogical that a bone disease would cause Buddy's problems but let me assure you that it definitely can. MBD is MUCH more than thinning bones. As the name implies, it is a metabolic syndrome. Calcium is a mineral that is involved in many metabolic processes in the body. When the body is severely calcium deficient there is a cascading metabolic collapse of many critical functions. In small mammals, the symptoms of severe calcium deficiency (MBD) are seizures, hind end paralysis and death.

The reason diet is so important is because there are foods that will cause MBD. Foods like nuts, seeds and corn are high phosphorus foods. The body must maintain a balance of the minerals calcium and phosphorus. This balance is approximately 2 parts of calcium to 1 part of phosphorus. When the diet is high in phosphorus rich foods the body will try to achieve this balance by pulling calcium from the bones. 99% of the calcium in the body is in the bones. Serum levels of calcium will already be low before this process of bone demineralization begins.

To avoid this problem the diet has to be balanced. In small mammals (birds and reptiles also) this balance is critical. In our squirrels friends, a high phosphorus diet (nuts, seeds and corn) is deadly.

I'm going to include a chart so that you can see the calcium to phosphorus ratio of different foods. The foods with a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 are the best. An example would be kale (2.4:1) is a good food. Pinenuts are the worst food on the chart at (1:35.9). You will notice that all nuts and seeds are high phosphorus foods. This is the reason we give nuts ONLY as a treat and not as part of the diet.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67967&d=1232419601


Here is a link to the healthy diet for pet squirrels.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

I hope and pray that little Buddy recovers. I can tell that you love him very much. :Love_Icon The reason I took the time to post this is so that you will have a better understanding of the problem. I have found that when people understand the problem they are more likely to embrace the solution/treatment. MBD can be reversed but it takes following the MBD protocol and a change of diet. I know this is a lot of information to process. It's for Buddy and you too mom. :grouphug

[Mel1959]

How’s a Buddy doing? Did you take him to the vet?

[Rexie]

how did the vet visit go with Buddy

[Rexie]

is buddy ok

[AgileOllie]

How is Buddy??

[AgileOllie]

Bump! Has anyone heard anything?

[Mel1959]

Thypically when there is no news it’s not a good thing. I hope I’m wrong and Buddy is doing better. Again, I wish folks would follow up and not leave us wondering. :tap